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Updated: May 16, 2026

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages
Published on: May 30, 2019
Pathways to understanding the extended phenotype of parasites in their hosts
1Centre for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Departments of Biology and Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. dhughes@psu.edu
Abstract:
The study of the adaptive manipulation of animal behavior by parasites is entering very exciting times. Collectively the field has moved from its important and instructional natural history phase into proximate-level studies aiming to elucidate the mechanisms by which one organism controls another. Because many cases studies involve cross-kingdom control of behaviour, the findings are sure to be exciting. In this review I examine what possible pathways we can take to understanding the controlling behavior of parasites and how host behavior has become an extended phenotype of the parasites that is often hidden from view.
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